Good Friend
by thefastlane
Summary: You can't hold on forever...sometimes you just gotta let something go. [2/3 complete][L/G relationship]
1. I how it happened

story: good friend

by: lauren (aka xo bella italiana ox)

rating: pg, mild language

summary: sometimes it's best to let something go.

disclaimer: i own nothing

pov: lizzie

when: during high school years

form: a three-part story of the progression of the relationship between lizzie and gordo.

inspiration: "good friend", by nine days

reviews: much appreciated, praise or flame, constructive criticism welcome.

                I don't know exactly when it started.

                Gordo had been acting…I don't know, different. He still cracked the same jokes, wore the same clothes…but he didn't smile the same. He didn't laugh the same.

                He didn't look at me the same.

                Miranda laughed and told me I was crazy. "What are you talking about? He's still the same Gordo. You guys are the same. And to anyone with two eyes, your relationship looks perfect."

                She was right, I suppose, in a way. It sure looked that way.

                But I guess things aren't always what they seem.

***

I guess to explain it all I'd have to go all the way back to the last day of school in freshman year of high school. With all the recent changes, the year had been a difficult one for me. I hadn't been prepared for Miranda to join drama club, and make new friends, or for the parties kids had to go from murder mystery parties to drinking parties, or for me to catch my boyfriend Jeremy cheating on me with some girl from the high school in the next town over. I hadn't been prepared for Kate's suicide. All of it slapped me so unexpectedly in the face, knocking me out. Yeah, that year had me emotionally drained.

And yet when I think about it, when I dig through all the memories, I somehow find one that always makes me smile. Actually, there's quite a few, but when I picture them in my mind, they're all kind of merged into one long memory of curly hair and deep blue eyes.

When he got me to start talking to Miranda again. When he spent endless Friday nights hanging out with me at the mall instead of going to the parties that I didn't want to go to. When he cancelled a date with this gorgeous 10th grader just to stay at my house and eat ice cream while I cried and ripped up pictures of Jeremy. When he gave up the opportunity to be transferred into this amazing film school just so I wouldn't be left alone. When he spent endless hours at my house, while I cried and screamed at nobody in particular about why I couldn't have been a better person to Kate. When he finally got me to laugh again, embarassing himself in front of everyone at the mall, just to see if it would make me smile.

And I remember when I first really wanted to kiss him.

Somewhere along the line, I think we both knew that something had changed in our relationship. It was a quiet change, something neither of us had to talk about, something nobody had to mention to make it real. A gaze, a smile…they said it all. Nobody ever said anything, but they knew, those sly looks they shot at us. I figured I better give it some time, let it pass. Falling in love with your best friend only works in movies. And books. And sometimes _those_ relationships don't even work out. And so I tried to push what I was feeling to the back of my mind, and I went on with life.

And then it was the last day of school. I'd been really anticipating the day, just wanting a break, a time where things wouldn't be so heavy and where I could just forget about life for a while.

I think Gordo read my mind. He suggested we go to the lake at night to go swimming, just like we'd done many summer nights when we were still in seventh grade. We swam, we told secrets, we laughed. Just me, him, and Miranda. Best friends forever. Life was so simple back then. I wanted to remember it. I wanted to remember what innocence felt like.

Miranda declined the invite. "_Robbie_ Taylor invited me to Becky's party tonight!" Becky Ross, a sophomore, was known for her wild parties. She saw the crestfallen look on my face, and promised me that we would spend time together in the summer. Then, reluctantly, she added, "And I promise I won't drink tonight. You know that was a one-time thing."

I nodded, desperately forcing a smile on my face. "Well, have fun." I felt my stomach tightening as I hugged her and told her if Robbie didn't finally notice her, I'd kick his ass.

I wasn't happy, but I understood. Miranda had been after Robbie for a few months now. I would never want to keep her from getting what she wanted. We weren't as close as we'd been last year, but we were still best friends. It wouldn't change. With a friendship like ours…well, time or change, nothing could kill it.

***

                "Most embarassing moment?"

                "Do you _have_ to keep bringing it up? When my hair caught on fire in the chem lab."

                I burst out laughing. Gordo shot me a warning look, but it quickly cracked into a smile. "Uh…my turn. Worst fight?"  
                "With Miranda. It was like…war."

                "Yeah, tell me about. Only a lot more high-pitched screaming."

                "Hey!" I laughed, digging my elbow into his side. "At least we're friends again."

_                It's so pretty there at night, _I mused, staring at the dark night sky, accentuated with a sprinkling of white stars, and the lake glowing with the reflection of the moon. _And for once, everything seems so perfect. Gordo and I were sitting on the side of the lake, shoes off, with our feet dipped in the water, playing Shotgun, a game Miranda had made up back in fifth grade, on a boring summer day. It was a nice way to recount the memories of the year._

                "Okay. Me," I declared. "Uh…biggest regret?"

                "I have none," he replied quickly, and with a sort of crooked smile.

                "Really?" I asked, disbelief lacing my voice. "I thought for sure you'd say not going to that film school…are you…._lying?" I teased._

                "Well, I would have left my best friend behind," he explained. "What kind of school is worth that?"

I hung my head until my hair was covering my face, and smiled to myself. I shook my head slightly. "Gordo, you are…"

                "Amazing?" he cut in teasingly. "Unbelievably good loking?"

                I let out a little laugh, and turned to face him again. "I was going to say the best but…" I cut the sentence off, not really sure where my mind was going with this.

                "But…what?" His tone had dropped from light to serious, and he was now staring at me curiously.

                Our faces were so close I could…_shut up! You're his friend, friend, friend, friend…_

                Somehow a few words I hadn't know I was thinking managed to slip out. "But…those fit too."

What? Did I mean that? Gordo – amazing, good looking?

                Glancing at him again…well, I was wrong. There were _no_ words worthy of describing the boy sitting next to me.

                Suddenly he got that sort of nervous look in his eyes. I recognized that look, from a party back in eighth grade, when I'd first realized that maybe Gordo had more potential than just a best friend. "Lizzie, maybe we should—"

                _Yes, Lizzie, he's right, you should get going, you have no business seeing your best friend as anything else, and—_

And then there was another part of me telling the other half of me, _Shut the hell up. Don't let him get away this time._

"David Gordon," I declared, a sudden boldness taking over me. "What are you thinking right now?"

He looked confused. His eyebrows were raised, eyes squinted in a way that was asking _What is wrong with you?_ "Uh…nothing?" he replied meekly.

"Do you want to know what _I'm_ thinking?" I asked assertively, taking his face in my hands.

Bewilderment had taken over his face now. It must have been pretty scary to see me acting so bold and aggressive. But before he could say anything, I swiftly leaned in and kissed him.

No response. I pulled away. _Oh, shit. Have I been reading him totally wrong? What have I done? I've just totally screwed things up…oh no oh no oh no oh no..._

"I'm sorry Gordo, I don't know what I was thinking, I just…" I shot out quickly, words just rolling off my tongue and flying in all directions. _Omigod, omigod…look at his face…he must think I'm insane, totally insane and oh my—_

I stopped when I saw his expressionless face break out into a smile. Through it, he somehow managed to say, "I was thinking a little more like…this…" And time slowed to a crawl as he closed the gap between us, and the kiss was long and slow, and unlike any other kiss.

And the thing is, the crickets around us kept chirping, cars kept driving down the nearby street. The fireflies kept flying, lights flashing, and I'm sure people all around us went on living, brushing their teeth and tucking their kids into bed. I wanted to laugh at them all, run and dance around the lake and throw it back in their faces, because they were living their lives as though nothing extraordinary was happening at the moment. Stupid, stupid people. Something amazing was happening, and they didn't even know it.

(A/N: Look for parts two and three, coming soon. This isn't your average Lizzie/Gordo story; it's something a little different. I think you guys will like it. Originally, I'd planned to post parts one, two, and three all together, but I had part one finished and it was burning at me. REVIEW!)


	2. II how it progressed

story: good friend

by: lauren (aka xo bella italiana ox)

rating: pg, mild language

summary: sometimes it's best to let something go.

disclaimer: i own nothing

pov: lizzie

when: during high school years

form: a three-part story of the progression of the relationship between lizzie and gordo.

inspiration: "good friend", by nine days

reviews: much appreciated, praise or flame, constructive criticism welcome.

a/n: disregard the summer in rome, in this fic, it never happened.

**part**** II: how it progressed (the good days)**

                "So how have things been going with you and Gordo?" Sherri, my coworker at the coffee shop asked me, with a little smirk on her face as she nudged me in the side.

                "Amazing," I answered her wistfully. I left it at that, knowing that the assistant manager, Chip, was nearby, and I definitely _didn't_ want that slimy old man to overhear anything about my romantic life. "Give me my latte, aright?"

                She went to hand over the paper cup, only for it to slip out of her hand and splash all over the floor. "Shit," she cursed. "I'll get that, don't worry about it."

                "Sherri, Lizzie!" Chip called. "I'm leaving early today…I have dinner reservations with my wife. Can I leave you girls to close up at 11?"

                "Sure, Chipper, no problem," Sherri chirped cheerfully. We heard him leave.

                "God, how can you be so _friendly_ to that man?" I groaned, disgusted. "He doesn't even say goodbye, and he smells like…I don't know, _cheese_."

                "Easy, baby—who else is gonna pay me?" she pointed out easily. "I'm still paying my parents back for that Mustang, you know."

"True, true." I sighed. "I had most of the money from all the modeling jobs I did a while back, but now I'm flat broke, and when I want a new Coach bag or a new pair of leather boots, guess who's paying for them. Hint: _not the people who claim to support me in times of need."_

"I hate to break it to you, Lizzie, but your shoes being '_so two weeks ago' doesn't exactly qualify as a time of need."_

"Gordo!" I cried out, my head shooting up. "What are you doing here? You're not allowed to see me like this." My hands immediately shot up to my hair to fix whatever messy, working-girl hairstyle it had managed to fall in to.

"Hey, relax. I like you however you look. And as for why I'm here, my dad let me use his car tonight, and I felt bad for you," he grinned, leaning over the counter to give me a quick kiss, "slaving away at the coffee shop. But I wouldn't exactly call it slaving," he added lightly, gesturing towards me.

"Hey!" Sherri cried out, popping up from behind the counter. "_I'm the one cleaning up tidal waves of coffee off the floor."_

"Hey, Sher," he greeted her easily, rolling his eyes. He'd heard the a thousand times. "Yes, I know you are an underappreciated worker, and I want you to know that I fully appreciate you." He brought a fist to his chest in mock-bravado, a drawn out exaggeration.

"Thanks," she scoffed.

"So _anyway," Gordo continued, catching my hand in his. "What time you are you getting off? I've been so busy with finals and I've barely seen you all week."_

I took a moment to look at him. It'd been almost two years since we'd been together, and every time I looked at him, it was still like I was looking at him for the first time. He still had that curly mop of hair, though slightly shorter, still the same crystal blue eyes, and still the same cute half-smile. Though he had grown a few inches taller, and developed a larger build ever since he took up hockey sophomore year, he was still the same guy I used to take baths with as a kid. It's crazy how much things change.

I glanced at the clock. It was only 9:30. "Oh _man. I don't get off until—"_

"Right now!" Sherri cut in, winking at me.

"But—"

"Go!" she urged me, beginning to untie my apron from the back.

"Are you—sure? Friday's our busy night!"

"Doesn't _look very busy," she gestured around the shop. Two older men were sipping on coffee and seemed to be in a very heated discussion, and one woman was flipping through a newspaper in the corner while munching on a brownie. "Relax, I've got you covered."_

"But what about—"

"Old Chippy? Chill, I'll take care of it," she insisted.

Gordo was looking at me with hopeful eyes and a playful face. "Please?"

I looked at them both, then around the store. "Okay…fine. But, Sher, if we get busy, I've got my cell, so just hit it. Are you positive you're okay?"

"One hundred ten percent positive," she assured me.

I walked around the counter and waved to Sherri as Gordo slung his arm around my shoulder. "Ciao, bella!" I called, waving to her.

"Behave yourselves, children!" she teased.

"Okay, where are we off to tonight?" I asked Gordo, loosening myself from his embrace and walking around to get in the car. "Dinner? Movies?"

"I was thinking," he began, "something a little different."

_Where is he going with this? I wondered. "Okay," I agreed. He grinned and rested his free hand on top of mine._

We drove in silence to the sounds of John Mayer, whom we'd both recently agreed on as the most amazing artist of all time. It wasn't a weird silence. It was that comfortable silence you have with your best friend, where nobody says a thing, but you just _connect_.

The car stopped, and I glanced over at Gordo. "Um…where are we?"

"I just thought we'd come by here, you know, for old time's sake," he explained, grinning at me. "Wait, take off your shoes."

I did just that, but my eyebrows furrowed in confusion. All I could see was the dark and a few trees outside.

"Come on!" He hopped out of the car, and I followed suit. He grabbed my hand, and I ran alongside him, until we passed a few trees and I saw a place that I had known my whole life. The lake.

I'd almost forgotten about it. We'd shared so many memories here; good and bad, when we were old and young. This lake was the place where our lives had completely changed.

I turned to him and kissed him softly. "Is today the day I think it is?"

"Yes," he murmured between kisses.

I laughed and pulled away. "How about a game of Shotgun? For old time's sake, you know."

"Race you to the lake?" he suggested, a mischevious glint in his eye.

That was our cue to run. He beat me, naturally. "Hey! No fair!" I protested. "You started early!" I knew very well that he didn't.

"Well," he began, raising an eyebrow, "what are you gonna do about it?"

"This," I decided, leaning in closer to him.

Unfortunately, he'd been prepared for something completely different and was completely unprepared for what had really been coming. He fell right into the lake.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, sputtering and coming up for air. "Now _that was not fair." I laughed easily at him, and jumped right in after him. The water was fairly cold and shallow, a lot more so than I remembered. But it was not the lake that had changed, it was us._

We stood inches apart, not saying anything. My heart was racing, and goosebumps had already begun to appear down my arms. We'd had our share of fights, stupid ones, reasonable ones, our share of difficulties, our share of good times. And through it all, I still saw him exactly the way I'd seen him two years ago—my best friend. Only now…the best friend also made my heart beat faster. I felt like a kid again, with a silly crush.

_Only it's so much more than that, I realized as Gordo's lips came crashing down on mine._

Eventually we parted and hoisted ourselves up along the water's edge. Our clothes were soaking wet and it was a little chilly, so I had no objections to Gordo pulling me into his lap and wrapping his arms around me.

"Favorite memory?" he began languidly, resting his chin on my shoulder.

"Every time I'm with you," I murmured lazily, taking a hold of his hand and tracing patterns on it with my finger. _It never gets old, being with him._ "Biggest surprise?"

"You. _This." In one swift movement he spun me around to face him. Searching my eyes and biting his lip, he trailed off. When he saw me looking at him oddly, he found his voice again and explained, "I don't know. I never thought we'd ever actually get together and stay this way. I'd figured that…you'd just open your eyes one day and be like, 'Wow, I could do a lot better.' But everything's…just so great. It's like…yeah. I never thought you'd see me as anything more than a friend. I never thought this could happen. And I never thought…I never thought I could fall in love with someone so early on in life."_

_What?! "You've fallen in love," I repeated, trying to inject a a teasing undertone, but my shock wound up drowning all that out. I regained my composure to some extent and put on my best smile. "Could you be a little more…specific?"_

"You're killing me, McGuire," he laughed. After some silence, he put a finger under my chin and tipped my face up to look at him. "I love you, Lizzie," he declared, his eyes intent on mine. He'd never sounded so sure of anything in his life.

"Love you too," I murmured softly, cut short by his lips. Someday I'd be able to say the whole thing out loud. _I love you, David Gordon._ I wanted to scream it, yell it, stop the cars in the street and announce to them that I was in love. _And someday I won't be so afraid, and I will_.

"Know what I keep thinking about?" Gordo said suddenly.

"What?"

"Remember when we told your parents, that we were together? And then Miranda, and then my parents, and pretty soon everyone knew?"  
                "Yeah." The thought made me smile. We'd been so nervous to tell everyone, when we were barely sure ourselves what we were feeling. I mean, one day you kiss your best friend, and the next, it's like…your whole life changes. "What about?"

"I don't know…they just didn't even seem surprised. It was like…they all knew that it was gonna happen, just a matter of when. I think we were even more surprised by us than they were."

"Well, I guess some things are just supposed to be a certain way. And nothing can change that, you know?" I let him think about that for a while.

The rest of the night was pretty uneventful. But I have to tell you—I have never had a more perfect time doing absolutely nothing.

A/N: I love this chapter…not sure why, but I like the vibe from it. Anyway, REVIEW! Part III, the final chapter, coming soon!


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